My Review: Into The Storm

Photo: Chris White I didn't get the chance to see Into the Storm when it was in theaters but I finally saw it Tuesday night. ...

Photo: Chris White

I didn't get the chance to see Into the Storm when it was in theaters but I finally saw it Tuesday night.

The film has a fairly simple concept: the town of Silverton is ravaged by a series of deadly tornadoes. Some people take shelter from the tornadoes, but others run right to them. That includes a group of storm chasers and two crazy guys just looking for a thrill and a quick buck.

But Into the Storm is not just a storm chaser flick. The film also focuses on the family dynamic of a local high school vice-principal, Gary (Richard Armitage), and his sons, Donnie (Max Deacon) and Trey (Nathan Kress). I wouldn't call the family "broken" per se but it's clear in the beginning of the film that there's some tension between Gary and Donnie.

What didn't I like? For starters, the most action in the film, of course, focused on the tornadoes. However, only the last tornado scene was the most intense. The rest fell flat. There were also some parts of the film that didn't receive closure, such as Donnie and Kaitlyn's relationship development. There were some parts I didn't understand as well, like how did the village idiots, Donk and Reevis, survive the storm when they were out in the open with no protection while Pete apparently didn't survive in a supposed indestructible storm chasing vehicle?

What I did like about the film is its found footage style. I think it was only natural for Into the Storm to be filmed and edited in this way and, of course, it paid off. The found footage style made the film real and believable. It was also nice how the ending of the film was constructed and the focus on the meaning of family was a pleasant surprise.

Into the Storm was a decent film overall. It kept my attention pretty much throughout, but it left me wanting a bit more at the end.